The more time that ticks on the harder it seems to be able to find a new job and despite there being no set retirement these days it still doesnâ€™t seem to make it any easier.

Being 50+ doesn’t mean you can’t find a job or start a new career. There are lots of online courses to learn new skills and qualifications.

There are also many companies are recruiting for age range.

Below are some key tips for applying for new jobs when you are of a certain age.

Top Job Search Tips for 50+ Job Seekers

Update your skills

In whatever way you can update your skills. This could be a training course, something new that you have been interested in for a while but make sure that it is relevant for the role you are looking to do. There are many opportunities for increasing your skills and experiences to make you more marketable and employable so it is important to do your research and learn as much as you can.

A number of people aged 50+ look at consulting opportunities where they take the skills and experience that they have gained over the years and do this on a consulting basis working on different projects as they come up. The work will not usually be permanent but if you can afford to be flexible then it could be a good opportunity to look at.

Follow up applications

Donâ€™t wait for companies to come back to you, give them enough time following an application deadline and follow up your application. It reinforces your interest in the company but also reminds them that you have applied for a role.

Spend time visiting recruitment agencies

Take your time to visit specialised recruitment agencies in your local area that deal with the type of vacancies you are looking for. Make sure the recruitment consultants take your search seriously and see if they will do some speculative research for you, marketing you out to companies of interest or clients that they are dealing with in a similar industry.

Write a thorough covering letter detailing your strengths

Make sure that the covering letter you write to go with your application details your strengths in order of what the company is looking for. If you can match their job advert in your covering letter then this will help to focus them that you have the skills that they have already outlined in their job advert.

The experience you have gained over the years is extremely valuable and most employers will focus on this rather than your age. Use it as a positive so that you can use your experiences but that you are still interested in learning new skills and adding anything you can to the team.

Word of mouth/recommendations

Draw upon any recommendations and ask friends to see if they can ask about for you. People within an industry seem to know more contacts and companies. This is still the most effective way of landing a job.

Networking

Look into local networking events to see if you can market your skills to companies going to these events. You can also start using LinkedIn, Twitter or any other popular social media sites to see and learn the latest trends about job searching. You can grow your network via social media.

Job Fairs

Try and look for local job fairs which specialise in your industry and go along and see them, take plenty of CVâ€™s, dress like you are going for an interview and see what interest you can drum up.

I know of a lot of people who have decided to change careers after the age of 50, and why not? Many people choose not to retire, so there is plenty of chance to have a number of years of enjoyment in a career you like. You shouldn’t forget that being able to talk about your life experience counts for a heck of a lot, and you may well be easier to train up because of this. It’s definitely worth reading all of this advice, as it’s honestly very good.